Minneapolis Connects - November 2016

City of Minneapolis sent this bulletin at 11/03/2016 03:28 PM CDT

November 2016

Voter guides in the mail

Minneapolis voters should watch their mail over the next few
days for a voter guide. Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services sent a voter
guide to every household in Minneapolis – customized by voting precinct – to
help voters understand their rights, how they can register and vote, and what’s
on the ballot.

Voters are advised to use the sample ballot included in the
guide to consider their choices in advance before heading to the polls. They
can review all the races, candidates and questions on the ballot. They can mark
their choices on the sample ballot and bring it to the polls to speed up the
process of completing their official ballot (which will look identical). This
can help everyone spend less time waiting in line and in the voting booth on
Election Day.

The guide also gives instructions on voting early. Any
Minneapolis voter can choose to vote early by mail or in person instead of
waiting for Election Day.

The Minneapolis Elections &
Voter Services Division is responsible for administering elections in the City
of Minneapolis. For information about registering and voting in Minneapolis,
residents can visit vote.minneapolismn.gov
or call 311 or 612-673-3000.

Committee triggers immediate corrections to City building entrance ramp

A recent correction to a public building entrance ramp shows
one of the benefits of the City’s advisory boards and commissions. Members of the
City’s disability committee brought forward an issue related to one of the
City’s new early voting centers: the building wasn’t ADA accessible because the
entrance ramp was too steep. Several City departments immediately worked
together to correct the problem, building a compliant ramp in time for the
opening of the center.

The ramp leading from the sidewalk to the entrance of the
Early Voting Center has been regraded to meet ADA standards, and curb cuts have
been added. The City also provided the following enhancements to improve
accessibility:

Adding two
accessible parking spaces adjacent to the center.

Adding extra
hand rails along the ramp.

Marking the
steps with hazard stripes for visibility.

Neighborhood Story: CARAG's Mosaic Mural Project

On
September 25, 2016, community members celebrated the unveiling of five mosaic
muralart pieces at Bryant Square Recreation Center.

The
Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG), Volunteers of America Southwest
Senior Center and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board have worked with the
community during 2015 and 2016 to create beautiful mosaic murals that are
attached to exterior of the Bryant Square Recreation Center.

CARAG
provided $10,000 in NRP Funds to match funds from the Metropolitan Regional
Arts Council

Arts
Activities Support Program for the creation and installation of the mosaic
mural. And, it worked with the VOA SW
Senior Center to recruit volunteers and lead community workshops where
participants assembled and installed the mural.

The VOA Southwest Senior Center coordinated the artist and
volunteers, obtained mosaic supplies and materials, and sponsored the workshops
where the mosaic was assembled.

The Park Board worked with CARAG and VOA SW Senior Center
to recruit volunteers and support installation of the mosaic panels.

The mosaic mural designs were developed through a series
of artist-led Visioning Workshops, in which the community identified images and
themes. Community volunteers
participated in dozens of workshops to prepare tiles, assemble mosaics, and
grout/thin-set mosaics.

Almost 200 neighbors of different ages and backgrounds were able to work
together to create what is truly a community art project. The result is five
mosaic panels, each with a theme: spring/summer, winter, autumn, water, and
butterfly garden.

***Neighborhood Story is a monthly feature in the
Minneapolis Connects newsletter. Each month a project from a neighborhood
organization is highlighted with the goal of sharing awesome things happening
in our neighborhoods. If you would like a neighborhood story featured in this newsletter,
please contact Stacy.Sorenson@minneapolismn.gov.
***

A new Native American historic context study will help the City evaluate and
preserve historic Native American resources including traditional cultural
places, archaeological sites and buildings in Minneapolis. The study looked at
cultural resources within the city that reflect thousands of years of Native
American heritage. The Community Planning and Economic Development Department
partnered with Neighborhood and Community Relations to perform the
study.

The study documents the Native American heritage of Minneapolis and
identified 24 properties and one district that appear significant to our
community’s shared Native American heritage and that may be eligible for
historic designation. This documentation and preservation of heritage resources
will provide future generations with a connection to the rich cultural heritage
of the city.

Staff and consultants conducted extensive outreach with the Native American
community to create the report. The study encompasses time from the first human
occupation of the region approximately 12,000 years ago to the close of the 20th
century.

The work was funded in part with a $15,000 National Park Service
Grant.

One of the most popular aspects of the study is a city map that shows Dakota
and Ojibwe place names, the first names given to features in our
community:

October Learning Lab Recap: Renter Engagement

Minneapolis neighborhoods with some of the highest rental
populations (40% to 90% rental) met on Wednesday October 26th at
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center to discuss best practices for
engaging renters in our community. Neighborhood staffers Derek Watson
from North East Park Neighborhood Association and Steve Gallagher from Stevens Square
Community Organization shared stories of renter organizing from two distinct
areas of the City with different rental populations. In Northeast
Minneapolis, neighborhood organizers from many different neighborhoods have
been very successful partnering with Neighborhood and Community Relations,
Regulatory Services and external agencies such as Homeline to help tenants get
access to important information via “Renters Rights Forums.”

Stevens Square has long had excellent partnerships
with their multi-family landlords and offer welcome packets to new neighbors
when they sign their lease. Some of their landlords offer a discount for
tenants who volunteer for SSCO! The discount is approximately $5 per
hour for up to twelve hours per month. Landlords in the neighborhood have
found that residents who volunteer for their neighborhood stay up to 50% longer
than those who don’t.

Nokomis East Neighborhood Association has recently joined
the Minneapolis Renters Coalition and is working hard on engaging non-English
speakers in their multi-family rental housing units and encourages any other
neighborhoods with large populations of renters to join.

Regulatory Services shared access to the City of Minneapolis
Open Data Portal as well as their new Neighborhood Profile Reports.

Comment on proposed 2017 City budget at Nov. 30 public hearing

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, the City
Council plans to approve the City’s 2017 budget. Before that happens, there are
two public comment hearings you can attend to share your thoughts about the
proposed budget and property taxes. You
can also share comments online at the City’s website.

The two public hearings are:

6:05 p.m. Nov. 30Room 317, City Hall

6:05 p.m. Dec. 7
Room 317, City Hall

If you can't attend the Nov. 30 or Dec. 7 hearings, you can submit comments
on the proposed budget online. All comments submitted online by 3 p.m. Dec. 6 will be
entered into the public record and shared with the mayor and council members.

The City Council held a series of
budget hearings as part of the budget approval process. Back-to-back
rebroadcasts of those hearings will be on Minneapolis
14 (Comcast channels 14 and 799, CenturyLink channel 14) every weekend
until a few days before the budget is approved on Dec. 7. This gives everyone
the opportunity to learn more about the budget proposal and its potential
impact in advance of the two public hearings. A schedule of the weekend budget
hearings “marathon” is available at www.minneapolismn.gov/tv/minneapolis14schedule. All
of the budget hearings can also be watched online at www.minneapolismn.gov/tv/minneapolis14.

Meet a Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commissioner: Braulio Carrasco

Council
Appointee

Term:
1st

Ward: 9

Neighborhood:
Corcoran

How long have you
been active in your community and what made you get involved in community work?

I
have been active in my community for as long as I can remember. My family moved
to the US in 2001 and by 2002 I had started as a freshman at the University of
Minnesota. I have been involved in efforts to make our state a better place
ever since. This drive brought me to serve on the board of my neighborhood
organization, Corcoran Neighborhood Organization from 2012-2014 where we
focused on outreach to immigrants and New American residents and renters.

What do you like most about your neighborhood or community?

Corcoran resident are truly
able to live, work and play right in our neighborhood. We have access to great
schools, parks, local restaurants and entertainment. It's a hub of diverse
households, families, experiences and backgrounds.

Are
there other boards and committees you are or have been on?

I'm currently serving on the
board of the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs.

In the past I've been part of
board of Navigate MN, Dominicanos Unidos en MN and a volunteer coach with
InnerCity Tennis.

Do you have any tips for residents interested in running for
neighborhood boards and/or City boards and commissions?

Get involved as a volunteer
first, find your passion and your voice and go for it.

Anything
else you’d like to share about yourself? (include a short
Bio if you’d like)

Braulio Carrasco is a classroom teacher on leave from
Minneapolis Public Schools currently at Education MN as the Race Equity
Organizer working to support, recruit and retain more educators of color.
Braulio was born in the Dominican Republic and is tireless advocate for
immigrants and new Americans.

***

The
“Meet a Commissioner” series of the monthly Minneapolis Connects newsletter is
intended for readers to get to know representatives of the Neighborhood and
Community Engagement Commission (NCEC). The NCEC is a 16 member board that
advises the Mayor and City Council on a wide range of community engagement
issues.

The
NCEC is responsible for developing guidelines for the City’s principal
neighborhood funding program, the Community Participation Program, as well as
the One Minneapolis Fund and the Community Innovation Fund. The Commission also
works to broaden participation on advisory boards and commissions and develops
recommendations for improving the City’s public participation process.

The
Commission meets every 4th Tuesday of the month at 5:00p.m. Learn more about the Commission. Executive
Committee and City Department Engagement Committee

2016 collection of leaves and bundled brush ends the week of Nov. 14

Your garbage
day in the week of Nov. 14 is the last 2016 collection for leaves, brush and
other yard trimmings. Yard waste must be in compostable bags – paper (Kraft) or
compostable plastic – or unbagged in a reusable container at least 26 inches
high with sturdy handles. Yard waste is not allowed in City-provided
containers. Set all yard waste next to your garbage cart by 6 a.m.

Leaves

Less than 40 pounds.

Brush

Less than 40 pounds.

Less than three feet long.

Branch size less than three inches in
diameter.

Must be bundled with string (no
tape).

Remember,
it’s against the law and bad for our lakes to rake leaves into the street.

If you have
questions about leaf and brush pickup, call 673-2917 between 8 a.m. and 4:30
p.m.

Snow Emergency information coming to household mailboxes

Even
though no snow is in sight yet, snow season is coming and you should watch your
mail around Nov. 1 for information that could help you avoid tickets and tows
when snow season arrives. The City is sending out more than 182,000 Snow
Emergency brochures, one to each household in the city. The brochure has
graphics and text showing where to park during the three phases of a Snow
Emergency.

Hold
on to this brochure throughout the winter and have it handy whenever a Snow
Emergency is declared. The brochure contains the Snow Emergency parking rules
and lists ways you can find out when the City of Minneapolis declares a Snow
Emergency. The more people follow the Snow Emergency parking rules and help
their neighbors do the same, the easier snow season is on everyone.

Snow
Emergencies are declared whenever there’s enough snowfall to warrant a complete
plowing of our streets. To get that done, people need to follow the parking
rules and move their vehicles so crews can plow the full width of the street.
When the snow flies, City Public Works crews have enormous jobs to do, with
more than 1,500 miles of streets, parkways and alleys that need to be cleared.
It’s important for drivers to follow the Snow Emergency parking rules so plows
can do the best job possible clearing snow. Vehicles parked on the street in
violation of Snow Emergency rules can be ticketed or towed.

By
reaching out to educate people about Snow Emergency parking rules, the City
hopes that more drivers will avoid tickets and tows. Minneapolis spreads the
word about Snow Emergencies by direct mail, emails, text messages, automated
phone calls, social networks, the internet and by working with the news
media.

Getting
drivers to follow Snow Emergency parking rules helps the City, too. Towing and
impounding vehicles is expensive and makes plowing inefficient, so it’s in
everyone’s interest to help drivers follow the parking rules and avoid a ticket
and tow. Learn more by visiting the City's website.

Just
more than a year into the citywide organics recycling program, the number of
participating customers has reached the opt-in rate predicted in a study
conducted before the program rollout: 40 percent. The City collects food
scraps, coffee grounds, meat trimmings, paper towels and many other items weekly from more than 42,500
households for composting. Since it started rolling out the citywide program in
August 2015, the City has collected more than 2,700 tons of organics.

Minneapolis
Solid Waste & Recycling customers who aren’t already in the organics
recycling program can sign up now to receive a cart. They can fill out the online form or call 612-673-2917 to get started
with organics recycling. There is no extra cost, but they have to sign up.
Residents who participate in the program may be able to reduce the size of
their garbage carts and save money on their City of Minneapolis utility bills.

HNA is a powerful resident driven community-based
organization located in North Minneapolis. The HNA represents a diverse
neighborhood of 3,200 people consisting of African Americans (39%), White
(28%), Southeast Asians (17%), and Latino (9%).

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample
to info@hnampls.org by
November 20, 2016.

About this newsletterMinneapolis Connects is published by the City of Minneapolis Neighborhood and Community Relations Department. If you have questions, please contact ncr@minneapolismn.gov.

For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please contact Cheyenne Brodeen, Cheyenne.Brodeen@minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-3737. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 agents at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.